Intel's X-25M solid-state hard drive enjoys several advantages over both spinning disk drives as well as other SSDs, including improvements to data throughput, boot time, and laptop battery life. Its one drawback is that it's pricier than even its other solid-state competition, but if you can forget about its cost, this is by far the fastest data drive available.

The inexpensive price of the Patriot Warp V.2 helps it stand out among solid-state hard drives, but its performance shows few significant benefits over normal hard disks. You'd be better off buying a fast 7,200rpm laptop hard drive or selling your firstborn to invest in the Intel X-25M SSD.